Aromatherapy is the traditional and scientific art and practice of using essential oils for the treatment of illness or to restore or enhance health, beauty, and well being. These essential oils are extracted from aromatic plants and herbs. Cedar Vale Company, an Internet supplier of essential oils (www.cedarvale.net) lists 177 such essential oils with therapeutic properties.
According to Dr. Kurt Schnaubelt, Director of the Pacific Institute of Aromatherapy, essential oils exert their therapeutic effect through pharmacological properties and small molecular size, which easily penetrate bodily tissues.
Although inhalation is the principal method of administration, using a few drops of essential oils on a handkerchief is not a well-controlled method of use. Furthermore, it is well known that several essential oils including anise, bitter almond, cedarwood, peppermint, sage, and wintergreen can be especially irritating to the skin.
While nasal clips are used in aromatherapy, most of the aromatherapy dispensers are “extra nasal” in that they deliver from outside the nostrils. For example, the “BREATHE RIGHT” strip, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,706,800 and 6,244,265, both of Cronk emits aromatherapy aromas, but only outside the nostrils.
The CNS “BREATHE RIGHT” strip bends around, and goes over the outside of, the nose, and emits fragrances therefrom in the vicinity of the nose. However, the CNS BREATHE RIGHT strip loses approximately 90% of the aromas to the air outside of the nose, where the aromas are emitted, not directly into the nostrils.
Among other patents for nasal administration of fragrances is U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,425 of the Applicant James Altadonna, Jr. herein describes a U-shaped nasal clip for delivering fragrances in malodorous environments, such as in a dental office or work site. As noted in Altadonna '425, dental patients often complain about foul odors associated with certain procedures. The source of the odor is generally acknowledged to be bacterial decay within the mouth due to high temperatures generated by the drilling of teeth. The present invention reduces or completely masks the unpleasant odors in a convenient and aggressive manner. However, in Altadonna '425, all of the spring force of the arcuate U-shaped band is directed at the inflection points of the opening points of the intra-nasal clip band against the nasal septum of the user.
Therefore, there is a need to provide an intra-nasal clip, which spreads out and deflects some of the impinging spring force of the intra-nasal clip away from where the nasal-clip impinges upon the nasal septum of the user.
Other nose clips are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 35,408 of Petruson describes a resilient nasal clip that pushes outward against the nasal sidewalls to maximize the nostril openings, a feature not desired by the present invention.
Among other related patents include U.S. Pat. No. 6,325,475 of Hayes for a mechanical inhaler for aromatherapy, U.S. Pat. No. 6,399,192 of Pinna for a skin adhered patch with microcapsules, U.S. Pat. No. 3,655,129 of Seiner for slow release pads, U.S. Pat. No. 3,688,985 of Engel for making odor releasing pads, U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,439 of Van Breen for slow release air fresheners, U.S. Pat. No. 4,492,644 of Matsomoto for slow release perfumes, U.S. Pat. No. 4,808,466 of Kotani for deodorant sheets and U.S. Pat. No. 5,622,992 of Beck for aromatic products for nasal passage congestion.
Nasal administration and ingestion of medicines are also known, such as with inhalers administrating particles or nebulizers administering mists.
Among related patents for nasal administration of medicines include U.S. Pat. No. 6,051,244 of Perricone for nasal administration of a fructose diphosphate gel for treatment or preventing epidermal or mucosal aging and inflammation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,543,434 of Weg describes the nasal administration of a dry powder such as ketamine for treatment of pain. U.S. Pat. No. 6,391,340 of Malmqvist-Granlund describes nasal administration of dry powders for treating conditions of the nose, such as antihistamines, i.e., lotatidine and terfenadine, anti-inflammatories, i.e., steroids, anticholinergic agents, i.e. ipratropium bromide, thiotropium bromide, oxytropium bromide, and vasoconstrictors. Malmqvist-Granlund '340 also describes the nasal administration of dry powders for other classes of drugs, such as proteins, peptides such as insulin, hormones, etc., as well as mixtures of such drugs, and salts, sovates, hydrates and esters thereof. Moreover, Nastech Pharmaceutical Company, Inc. of New York, N.Y. produces nasally administered forms of apomorphine hydrochloride for sexual dysfunction, morphine gluconate as an opioid analgesic, scopalamine hydrobromide as an anti-motion sickness medicine, interferon alpha for treating cancer and hepatitis, interferon beta for treating relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, somataropin for treating growth failure and triptans for treating migraine. In addition, nasal administered FLONASE® of GlaxoSmithKline, is a metered dose aqueous suspension of microfine fluticasone propionate for treating nasal inflammations. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,342,478 of Frey describes nasal administration of fibroblast growth factors to the brain via the olfactory nerve for treating Alzheimer's disease.
However, the aforesaid nasal administrations of medicines are by direct contact from squirting or other pumping of the medicine directly into the nasal passage tissues, which may irritate nasal tissues.
Moreover, medicines may be delivered in aromatically odorous form, such as from a VAPORIZER® steam dispenser, but they require access to electricity and water, and restrict the mobility of the patient to the room in which the VAPORIZER® is located. Portable vaporizers are known, such as a mist inhaler described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,164 of Raghuprasad and U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,514 of Liu, but they still require mechanical and/or electrical components.
Other nose clips are known, but they are generally used to hold the nostrils closed, as in swimming or surgical procedures, as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,360 of Zloczysti, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,508 of Lake.
To reduce malodorous mouth odors, various formulations in the form of tablets, liquids, or other medicaments are applied to the mucosol cavities of the user's mouth, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,648 of Witzel, U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,912 of Rudy, or U.S. Pat. No. 5,281,415 of Suzuki. But these cannot be applied during dental procedures, except by intermittent spraying or ingesting into the patient's mouth.
Furthermore, odor reducing filter masks are known, but these generally cover the whole face or the whole nose, 4s in U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,629 of Patterson for a filter mask
Other odor reducing filter masks which cover the face or the nostrils of the nose include U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,773 of Bertrand and U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,798 of McKinney for filter masks that cover and mask the outer nostril end of the nose. Masks which cover the whole nose include U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,708 of Vanuch and U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,105 of White.
Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,628 of Barnum discloses a mask to counteract odors that includes a cloth substrate covering the nose and mouth of the user, wherein the cloth substrate is held over the face by ear pieces which tie around the ears.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,013 of Brannon describes a mask with a scenting means. However, the mask of Brannon '013 covers at least the whole nose of the user.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,167 of Wilson et al. discloses a face shield covering the whole face of a user, wherein the user holds the face shield by gripping a mouthpiece between the user's teeth.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,267,831 of Aguilar and U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,205 of Wang describe nasal air filters and medicament dispenser devices, wherein two medication dispensing tubes are provided, one for insertion into each nostril. The problem with Aguilar '831 and Wang '205 is that the cylindrical outer surfaces of each tube completely block each nostril, thus increasing discomfort and preventing normal breathing through the nostrils.
However, these face coverings or nose covering masks are bulky and interfere with normal breathing during dental procedures.